Only 2 Visa Exempt Entries At Border Crossings Per Calendar Year Effective Dec 31st

[KhonKaenKowboy]

One time some fat pig with UAL wasn't going to let me check in because I lacked a visa for China, where I was staying for two hours....so yeah, the airlines are more than willing to deny boarding based on visa to anywhere.

[kraxlhuber]

Just now, overherebc said:

 

Don't you get 30 days? Not 3 months. Same as land crossings.

Just to get back on topic.?

land crossings you get 14 days, but can be extended, depends where you are applying from

[overherebc]

6 minutes ago, kraxlhuber said:

land crossings you get 14 days, but can be extended, depends where you are applying from

 

You apply at the border, if you are from a G7 country you get 30 days visa exempt, ie not a visa. If not G7 country you get 14/15 days.

Some other nationalities can apply for a visa on arrival.

Don't really want to list them. Just google it ☺

Edited December 17, 2016 by overherebc

[Arandora]

2 hours ago, visarunner said:

Yes, it only affects people under visa exempt

But if someone enters under a 60 day Single Entry Tourist Visa, then leaves, they can only re-enter under Visa Exempt twice? Yes? 

[elviajero]

2 minutes ago, Arandora said:

But if someone enters under a 60 day Single Entry Tourist Visa, then leaves, they can only re-enter under Visa Exempt twice? Yes? 

Yes, I doubt it matters what visa/entries you've had before making a visa exempt entry. They seem to only be limiting visa exempt entries to two per year.

[jspill]

They keep adding a few baht to the price of flight tickets every year or so, this should be a nice money earner for them.  

 

 

[overherebc]

6 minutes ago, Arandora said:

But if someone enters under a 60 day Single Entry Tourist Visa, then leaves, they can only re-enter under Visa Exempt twice? Yes? 

 

Not sure, UBJ will probably clear that one up, but I think getting a re-entry permit would cover that.

Edited December 17, 2016 by overherebc

[elviajero]

37 minutes ago, darrendsd said:

The main word in my post was "Probably" I don't believe this means I am stating it is a fact, just so you understand 

I understand that you probably think 95% of people entering by air do so using visa exemption. The fact you think that further demonstrates your lack of knowledge.

Edited December 17, 2016 by elviajero

[tomacht8]

13 minutes ago, Arandora said:

But if someone enters under a 60 day Single Entry Tourist Visa, then leaves, they can only re-enter under Visa Exempt twice? Yes? 

Think if you walk over the national borders ( land crossings) , yes. But if you fly in with an airplane and can present money plus onward flight ticket, there should be no problems with more than two visa exempt entrances.

So I've understood it so far.
Can not understand way thailand want to kick out the jetsetters.
But may be, i am wrong.

Edited December 17, 2016 by tomacht8

[kraxlhuber]

33 minutes ago, overherebc said:

 

Don't you get 30 days? Not 3 months. Same as land crossings.

Just to get back on topic.?

yes 30 days visa exempt

[elviajero]

13 minutes ago, overherebc said:

Not sure, UBJ will probably clear that one up, but I think getting a re-entry permit would cover that.

A re-entry permit wouldn't help to get more time in the country from two visa exempt entries.

[overherebc]

3 minutes ago, tomacht8 said:

Think if you walk over the national borders ( land crossings) , yes. But if you fly in with an airplane and can present money plus onward flight ticket, there should be no problems with more than two visa exempt entrances.

So I've understood it so far.
Can not understand way thailand want to kick out the jetsetters.
But may be, i am wrong.

 

Could it be that jet-setters are not really the kind of people who like to be crammed inside an overloaded mini-van to do a border run every 30 days?

Maybe, just maybe they have visas, flights etc all sorted before they go anywhere on holiday.

Anyway the main point of this new rule/law just means that Thailand is only getting itself onto a par, visa wise, with many other countries. IMHO.

SWMBO and self do a fair bit of travelling and it really is not that difficult to sort out visas etc before each holiday.

[overherebc]

6 minutes ago, elviajero said:

A re-entry permit wouldn't help to get more time in the country from two visa exempt entries.

 

Not sure but maybe it would allow a couple of trips to neighbouring countries. That, would probably require a visa to allow entry.

Interesting though, isn't it.

Edited December 17, 2016 by overherebc

[tomacht8]

4 minutes ago, overherebc said:

 

Could it be that jet-setters are not really the kind of people who like to be crammed inside an overloaded mini-van to do a border run every 30 days?

Maybe, just maybe they have visas, flights etc all sorted before they go anywhere on holiday.

Anyway the main point of this new rule/law just means that Thailand is only getting itself onto a par, visa wise, with many other countries. IMHO.

SWMBO and self do a fair bit of travelling and it really is not that difficult to sort out visas etc before each holiday.

Example

I like to fly to Thailand for the temples, beach, fun, girls or whatever.
As an European I can enter without a visa and get a 30 day stamp at the airport.
So my planned stays 2017 with flying in and out to Thailand would be February 3 weeks, April 3 weeks, July 3 weeks, September 2 weeks and December 3 weeks.
A visa is then not necessary at all.

And this would not be longer possible?
I can not believe that.
 

[darrendsd]

24 minutes ago, elviajero said:

I understand that you probably think 95% of people entering by air do so using visa exemption. The fact you think that further demonstrates your lack of knowledge.

 

So if you are questioning my estimation that 95% of people arrive by air on VE is wrong and I am more than happy to be proved wrong as my % was a estimate i'm sure you have the real number at hand, you must have as you clearly think I am wrong?

 

So please enlighten me with the real number, please, you must have it right?

[freedomnow]

6 minutes ago, overherebc said:

Interesting though, isn't it.

Interesting isn't it, how it has swung from one extreme to the other in under 2 years.

This is going to stuff sooooo many frequent travelers coming in by land who don't follow the forums.

 

I'd have thought judging by the downturn at say Vientiane's applicant volume (used to be a circus there,no so much now) , that a masssive % had already traded up their visa hopping to another place to stay long-term.

Looks like 'leave no man standing' is the full thrust.

[overherebc]

I reckon that outside the TV members who regularly read/post etc quite a few who will be unaware of this are going to get caught out by it.

Does it mean they will not be allowed to leave by land and forced into overstay or be allowed to leave and then refused entry.

[Arandora]

4 minutes ago, tomacht8 said:

Example

I like to fly to Thailand for the temples, beach, fun, girls or whatever.
As an European I can enter without a visa and get a 30 day stamp at the airport.
So my planned stays 2017 with flying in and out to Thailand would be February 3 weeks, April 3 weeks, July 3 weeks, September 2 weeks and December 3 weeks.
A visa is then not necessary at all.

And this would not be longer possible?
I can not believe that.
 

The change only applies to land entries (at the moment) so as you re-enter by air, you should be able to continue receiving a 30 day Visa Exempt stamp each time. 

[overherebc]

2 minutes ago, freedomnow said:

Interesting isn't it, how it has swung from one extreme to the other in under 2 years.

This is going to stuff sooooo many frequent travelers coming in by land who don't follow the forums.

 

I'd have thought judging by the downturn at say Vientiane's applicant volume (used to be a circus there,no so much now) , that a masssive % had already traded up their visa hopping to another place to stay long-term.

Looks like 'leave no man standing' is the full thrust.

Think we had similar thoughts at the same time.☺

[overherebc]

14 minutes ago, tomacht8 said:

Example

I like to fly to Thailand for the temples, beach, fun, girls or whatever.
As an European I can enter without a visa and get a 30 day stamp at the airport.
So my planned stays 2017 with flying in and out to Thailand would be February 3 weeks, April 3 weeks, July 3 weeks, September 2 weeks and December 3 weeks.
A visa is then not necessary at all.

And this would not be longer possible?
I can not believe that.
 

 

As it stands now it's still possible but on arrival I would have 20,000 baht in my pocket, a return ticket, hotel booking confirmation etc to show as requested.

Similar to what my wife has to show on arrival in UK when we go on a Cathedral and Museum tour.

??????

Nearly forgot, also a valid visa in her passport.

Edited December 17, 2016 by overherebc

[BritTim]

My own belief is that frequent tourist entries (visa exempt or with visa) from your home country will continue to be possible without much difficulty. My reading of the tea leaves is that immigration is becoming increasingly intolerant of people living in Thailand full-time (or close to it) on tourist entries.

 

Although a full-on crackdown on this has not yet occurred, it may well be in the offing. There is a complication in enforcing this. When you are coming in by air, immigration would much prefer you are denied boarding rather than denied entry on arrival. This implies rules the airlines can easily check and enforce. It is not clear what these might be, as absolute prohibition of serial visa exempt entries or tourist visas would definitely impact what everyone recognizes as genuine tourists. More complicated rules would be very tricky for airlines. Maybe, you will start getting red stamps stating "no tourist entry before <date>" in your passport. Anyone else have ideas about what they might do?

Edited December 17, 2016 by BritTim

[overherebc]

33 minutes ago, darrendsd said:

 

So if you are questioning my estimation that 95% of people arrive by air on VE is wrong and I am more than happy to be proved wrong as my % was a estimate i'm sure you have the real number at hand, you must have as you clearly think I am wrong?

 

So please enlighten me with the real number, please, you must have it right?

 

27 point 47428064.

[elviajero]

36 minutes ago, darrendsd said:

So if you are questioning my estimation that 95% of people arrive by air on VE is wrong and I am more than happy to be proved wrong as my % was a estimate i'm sure you have the real number at hand, you must have as you clearly think I am wrong?

 

So please enlighten me with the real number, please, you must have it right?

I don't have the numbers, and never quote numbers without backing them up with sources.

 

The total number of visitors to Thailand in 2015 was 29,881,091 according to Wikipedia. I've no idea how many were by air, however, none of following countries qualify for Visa Exempt Entry and probably most of these would have flown in.

China 7,934,791

India 1,069,149

Russia 884,085

Taiwan 552,624

That totals 10,440,649 and accounts for 34.9% of total visitors that can be discounted. I am certain that not all of the remaining visitors that qualified for visa exempt entry did so.

 

Based on these figures alone your estimate is way off.

[overherebc]

11 minutes ago, BritTim said:

My own belief is that frequent tourist entries (visa exempt or with visa) from your home country will continue to be possible without much difficulty. My reading of the tea leaves is that immigration is becoming increasingly intolerant of people living in Thailand full-time (or close to it) on tourist entries.

 

Although a full-on crackdown on this has not yet occurred, it may well be in the offing. There is a complication in enforcing this. When you are coming in by air, immigration would much prefer you are denied boarding rather than denied entry on arrival. This implies rules the airlines can easily check and enforce. It is not clear what these might be, as absolute prohibition of serial visa exempt entries or tourist visas would definitely impact what everyone recognizes as genuine tourists. More complicated rules would be very tricky for airlines. Maybe, you will start getting red stamps stating "no tourist entry before <date>" in your passport. Anyone else have ideas about what they might do?

 

Interesting points. One of the main stumbling blocks is the understanding of the rules by other countries based on the updated information they are given.

I would make a good guess that a lot of it comes from lack of information  passed to bordering countries or problems in translation in the process. Think of 'should' and 'shall'

I would reckon that visa requirement changes in most countries are widely broadcast and don't change yearly or monthly.

However I believe it is still the responsibility of the traveller to make themselves aware of the requirements prior to travelling.

[elviajero]

1 hour ago, tomacht8 said:

Example

I like to fly to Thailand for the temples, beach, fun, girls or whatever.
As an European I can enter without a visa and get a 30 day stamp at the airport.
So my planned stays 2017 with flying in and out to Thailand would be February 3 weeks, April 3 weeks, July 3 weeks, September 2 weeks and December 3 weeks.
A visa is then not necessary at all.

And this would not be longer possible?
I can not believe that.

They are mostly interested in trying to stop people living in Thailand from using visa exempt entry. An entry pattern like yours does not suggest that you are living or working here and it's likely that you would allowed to follow your plan. However, at anytime you might get questioned about what you do in the country and they may ask you to get a visa for future visits.

Edited December 17, 2016 by elviajero

[overherebc]

7 minutes ago, elviajero said:

I don't have the numbers, and never quote numbers without backing them up with sources.

 

The total number of visitors to Thailand in 2015 was 29,881,091 according to Wikipedia. I've no idea how many were by air, however, none of following countries qualify for Visa Exempt Entry and probably most of these would have flown in.

China 7,934,791

India 1,069,149

Russia 884,085

Taiwan 552,624

That totals 10,440,649 and accounts for 34.9% of total visitors that can be discounted. I am certain that not all of the remaining visitors that qualified for visa exempt entry did so.

 

Based on these figures alone your estimate is way off.

 

No arguement on your figures but would like to see EU and US figures as well.

As I said, no arguement.☺

[elviajero]

6 minutes ago, overherebc said:

No arguement on your figures but would like to see EU and US figures as well.

As I said, no arguement.☺

If you follow the link in my post you will find the visitor numbers for the top 20 countries. 

UK 946,919

Germany 760,604

France 681,097

Sweden 321,663

US 867,520

 

[Arkady]

From the wording of this ministerial regulation it is very clear that it only applies to visa exemptions at land border crossings.  Those coming frequently for short stays by air have nothing to worry about.  Legit tourists planning an extended trip to Thailand involving more than 2 land crossings into Thailand can get multiple re-entry tourist visas in their home countries before departure.  When a 3 or 6 month METV has expired, the holder should still be entitled to two visa exempt land border entries into Thailand in the same year.  That should cover the needs of virtually every legit tourist.  Those that don't want to apply for a tourist visa can still arrive in Thailand by air, stay for 30 days and come back twice more overland for 30 days and if their trip is over New Year, they can come back overland two more times.  In the worst case, they can fly back to Thailand from a neighbouring country and get another visa exempt entry.  The only problems for tourists are likely to be as a result of not being informed about the new regulations when planning their trips.

[overherebc]

10 minutes ago, elviajero said:

If you follow the link in my post you will find the visitor numbers for the top 20 countries. 

UK 946,919

Germany 760,604

France 681,097

Sweden 321,663

US 867,520

 

 

Thanks, didn't notice the link.

Interesting.

Shame it can't really be broken down re visa exempt or with visa.

Edited December 17, 2016 by overherebc

[Arkady]

1 hour ago, BritTim said:

My own belief is that frequent tourist entries (visa exempt or with visa) from your home country will continue to be possible without much difficulty. My reading of the tea leaves is that immigration is becoming increasingly intolerant of people living in Thailand full-time (or close to it) on tourist entries.

 

I think you absolutely right.  The changes to immigration policy by this government need to viewed as a whole. They talk about "Good guys in, bad guys out" and they seem to be quite serious about this.  As soon as they came to power they began streamlining the processes for permanent residence and citizenship applications which had become horribly run down under successive corrupt civilian administrations that refused to sign anything they didn't get paid for.  Hundreds of people have now been approved for both under this government and the processes which had been taking many years is now far quicker and more transparent. 

 

They view people living virtually full time in Thailand on visa exemptions or tourist visas as "bad guys" and we have to admit that a small minority are indeed criminals, while many more are working illegally in Thailand.  Even the computer nomads are working illegally and not paying Thai tax, even though they are not taking work away from Thais.  I am not saying that I fully agree with this policy but I do understand the logic of it from the government's perspective and how it fits into their overall view of immigration policies which is not all repressive.